a blogger’s Christmas gifts!

January 25, 2013.Reading time 1 minute.

I know, Christmas is now already four weeks ago! (Wow, time is going by so fast!) But I really want to share these lovely gifts I got – gifts that warm the heart of any crafter!

I just started knitting – and got a huge bunch of knitting and crocheting supplies.
And buttons. I love buttons!

I love my new cutting board! It’s also perfect for tracing patterns. I started reading the pattern fitting book and have to say, it’s really good. I totally recommend it. In the next weeks I’ll write a few reviews of the sewing and pattern making books I use!

One of my favorites! I collect vinyls and I am a big Marilyn fan. The record is second hand and soo pretty. A collection of best of songs from Marilyn Monroe. Aww.

What hobby and craft items did you get for Christmas? What was your favorite?

i want to meet a guy named Art…

November 12, 2012.Reading time 4 minutes.

…I’d take him to a museum, hang him on the wall, criticize him, and leave.
– Jarod Kintz

If you live in London or you’re staying here at the moment and don’t hate going to museums too much, here are some wonderful current exhibitons that are mostly free!

I am planning to go to all of them over the next few weeks/months and I will keep you posted, if they were as good as they sound!

#1 Marilyn Monroe: A British Love Affair – It’s free!!
National Portrait Gallery – Room 33 (Trafalgar Square)
29 September 2012 – 24 March 2013

http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/display/2012/marilyn-monroe-a-british-love-affair.php

I LOVE the Portrait and the National Gallery and go there regularly. ~~I really can’t believe that I didn’t manage to go see the beautiful Marilyn yet!~~ (My obsession strikes once again..!)

Update: I went there last week and have to admit I was a little disappointed. I know the gallery well and expected it to be a small exhibition of max. 2 rooms, but actually this time it was only one single wall of no more than 20-30 pictures. But the pictures were beautiful (mostly magazine covers).

#2 Hollywood Costume Exhibition
Victoria and Albert Museum
20 October 2012 – 27 January 2012

“…explores the central role costume design plays in cinema storytelling. Bringing together over 100 of the most iconic movie costumes from across a century of film-making, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the clothes worn by unforgettable and beloved characters such as Dorothy Gale, Indiana Jones, Scarlett O’Hara, Jack Sparrow, Holly Golightly and Darth Vader.”

Doesn’t that sound amazing? Lord Vader, Captain Jack and Holly Golightly totally got me hooked! It’s fairly expensive (about ₤40) and you have to book a ticket (November weekends already sold out).

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-hollywood-costume/

I found a rather nice review by someone who already went and saw the exhibition.

Update: I got the tickets for that exhibition for Christmas (yay!). We spent about two hours in the 3 rooms/halls. It was amazing! I can only recommend it. The only really important movie costumes I missed there were the one from Lord of the Rings.

Highlights: Darth Vader, Jack Sparrow, the Black Swan, Anna Karenina, Holly Golightly, Sugar Cane, and many many more!

#3 Landscape Photographer Of The Year – It’s free!!
Lyttelton Foyer of the National Theatre
12 November 2012 – 12 January 2013

Just look at the pics preview. ~~I have to go there!~~

Update: I’ve been there yesterday and it was awesome. About a hundred really great pictures I all wanted to take home!

http://londonist.com/2012/11/art-preview-landscape-photographer-of-the-year-national-theatre.php

#4 Museum Of Curiosity – It’s free!
15 Bateman St, W1D 3AQ
only until Christmas!

“…This exhibition harks back to those days with taxidermied albino cobras and the heads of a two-headed calf on display. And that’s just the beginning as the surreal and disturbing artworks of well known artists such as Nancy Fouts, Tessa Farmer and Candice Tripp add to the creepy oeuvre…”

http://londonist.com/2012/11/exhibition-review-museum-of-curiosity-black-rat-projects.php?showpage=3#gallery-1

And I just stumbled upon this:

“Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering – because you can’t take it in all at once.”

— Audrey Hepburn

gentlemen prefer blondes

September 22, 2012.Reading time 2 minutes.

…but gentlemen marry brunettes.

While preparing an upcoming DIY bracelet tutorial, I watched “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and I’m going to give a short review of the movie before posting the tutorial (yeah, I know, my Marilyn obsession strikes once again…).

“You DID say diamonds! – I can tell!”

The movie is based on a novel and play by Anita Loos, which was so successful it was made a Broadway play, a silent movie and a musical and ran for 740 performances during the 1949-1951 season before the movie was made in 1953.

Thinking of the movie, most people will remember the famous scene in which Monroe performs “Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend”. For me it was only one of many highlights in the movie. The dialogues and character sketches are hilarious as well as Dorothy’s (Jane Russell) constant sarcasm.

“I want you to find happiness and stop having fun. “

Monroe stars as Lorelei Lee, a blonde rather simple-minded bombshell who thinks of nothing else than “how to marry a millionaire”. The dumb blonde – A role and image Monroe never got rid of, a role she despised but mastered perfectly in almost all her movies.

“Dorothy, please, a lady never admits her feet hurt.”

Jane Russell, as Dorothy Shaw, plays the more rational and responsible of the two. Although she is a great actress, she is outshined by the graceful yet cute Monroe/Lorelei.

“Say, they told me you were stupid! You don’t sound stupid to me!”

– “I can be smart when it’s important. But most men don’t like it.”

To cut a long story short, the movie doesn’t take itself seriously, so you shouldn’t either. If you’re looking for some intense and profound story, you will be disappointed. But for everyone that just wants to enjoy themselves with light entertainment it’s the perfect choice.

some like it hot

September 19, 2012.Reading time 1 minute.

… and that’s one of the reasons why I wasn’t as elated by the rustling and fragrance of falling leaves as everyone else in London seemed to be last weekend. As pretty as it is, this foretaste of autumn season made me wish for the summer to last just a tiny little bit longer.

However, for those of you, that can’t wait to spend their days inside with tea, coffee and hot chocolate, here is a film tip for the coming rainy days.

I have been pretty much obsessed with Marylin Monroe for the last two months and still working myself through watching all of her movies, but Some Like It Hot has been the best so far. I was rather interested in her work than in the actual plot, but Some Like It Hot really surprised me in a positive way. It’s way more entertaining, amusing and fun than most of the latest Hollywood comedies are. And it’s a Must Watch for everyone that always wanted to see Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon dress up as women. Josephine, Daphne and Sugar Kane (Monroe) are my absolute favorite film trio this summer!

“Some Like It Hot is so delightfully fizzy, it’s hard to believe the shooting of the film was a headache, with an unhappy Monroe on her worst behaviour. The results, however, are sublime.” – Robert Horton